Method of and apparatus for cutting deckle-edged envelope blanks



Novr lis, 192?. 11,474,048

0. W. LYNCH METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DECKLE EDGED ENVELOPE BLANKS Filed July 18, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 M INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 13, 1923. 1,474,0 48

QC. W. LYNCH METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DECKLE EDGED ENVELOPE BLANKS Filed July 18 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO 175 m wzw @NM ATTORNEYS. 1

Nov. 13, 1923. 11,474fi41-8 C. W. LYNCH METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DECKLE EDGED ENVELOPE BLANKS 3 Sheets-Shea? 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. l3, i923.

CHARLES W. LYNCH, OF HOLYOIKE, ETASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN"WBIT ING PAPER COI-EPANY, OF HOLYOKE, lviASSi-LCHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DECKLETEDGED ENVELOPE BLANKS.

Application filed July 18,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, CllAlILES it". .iJYNGH, citizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, in. the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of and i'tpparatus for Cutting Deckle-Edged.

press invariably have thin, irregular, feathcry edges commonly known as deckle edges. Consequently, a dcckle edge on paper has universally been considered to be a mark of hand-made paper or paper of superior quality. Deckle-edged paper is now made by machinery so as to be scarcely distinguishable from the. hand-made product and is used extensively for writing paper and envelopes.

In making deckle-odged envelopes it has heretofore been necessary to fold the envelope blanksby hand in order to secure satisfactory and uniform results. This is explained by the following facts: Envelope blanks usually consist ot a central or body portion which is to constitute one side of the folded envelope, and four extensions which are to be folded over against the .body of the blank thus forming flaps that are glued together along their overlapping edges to constitute the other side of the envelope. To this end, the adjoining edges of adjacent extensions of the blanks are angularly dis posed so to tormreentrant corners be: tween the extensions. In order that such blanks way be successfully handled by envelope folding machines, the blank-feeding sitioning devices ottthe latter are conted and arranged to engage in two of rant corners of the blanks. Ordil envelope blanks having the usual smooth die-cut edges are all identical in contour and consequently are operated upon uniformly by the blank-folding machines. In deckle-edged blanks, however, there are immediately adjacent these corners.

1921. Serial No. 485,826.

no regular or uniform edges, corners or notches for the positioning devices of the blank folding machine to engage and there fore such blanks when supplied to the folding machines are improperly positioned for the folding operations and consequently are inaccurately folded.

To adapt deckle-edged blanks to be uniformly handled and accurately folded by machinery it has been proposed to prepare the blanksby dieing out merely the recntrant corners thereof or the edge portiipns iificulty has been experienced, however in dieing out the corners of a blank in proper relation to the rest of the blank and also in dieing out the corners uniformly in difterent blanks of the same size and style.

One object of the present invention is to provide means for producing, at two or more places along the margin of a deckleedged envelope blank, smooth and regular edges which shall be so disposed with re spect to the rest of the blank as to insure proper handling of the blank in the envelope-folding machine. To this end, one

feature of the invention consists in the provision of a die constructed and arranged to cut away portions of the margin of a deeklc-edged envelope blank to produce a plurality of smooth and regular edges thereon, and a device cooperating with the die to relatively locate the die and the blank,

prior to the cutting operation so that the edgescut by the die will bear a predetermined symmctrical relation to the rest of the blank.

The invention further contemplates the construction of the device in such a manner as to render it capable of maintaining a thefolding machine in the form of notches,

each similar in shape and bounded by plain or smooth edgeshaving reentrant angular relation to one another. the notches being arranged so that the corners thereof will define the tour corners of a rectangle which shall determine the shape of the folded envelope and the sides of which shall be perpendicular to the bisector of the blank which passes through the respective extension thereof.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a stationary die and a movable blank-holding device are provided. The die consists of a vertically disposed endless band having four protruding corner portions and four reentrant corner portions, thelatter being severally interposed between adjacent protruding corner portions and having upwardly directed cutting edges lying in the same horizontal plane. The blank holding device comprises a box-like structure having a square bottom wall for supporting a stack of blanks and side walls rising vertically from the bottom wall to engage the edges of the blanks and bring them into substantial alinement. To enable the blank-holding device to cooperate with the die to locate the stack of blanks relatively to the die, said device is constructed and arranged to fit closely within the side walls of the die. The

side and bottom walls of the blank-holding device are cut away to permit the reentrant corner portions of the die to project into the space within said side walls so as to cut the required notches in the margins of considerably the construction of the blankholding device as by reducing the number ofguiding faces which serve to secure substantial registration of the blank and to rel* atively locate the blanks and the die. The right is therefore specifically reserved to all such variations and modifications which fall within the true scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The various features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which, 7

Fig. 1 1s a top plan view of a die and a blank-holding device embodying the invention in what is now considered to be its preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a view, partially in side elevation and partially in section, of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of said figure;

velope blank before being operated upon by the present apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank after four rceirtrant corners have been cut therein by the preferred embodiment of the present apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a completed envelope made from a blank such as that illustrated in Fig 5; and V Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrative of a modified embodiment of the invention.

The illustrated apparatus is designed to operate upon deckle-edged envelope blanks such as that illustrated by Fig. 4E. The blank 8, shown in this figure, which may be either hand made or machine made, has all of its marginal edges thin and feathery and is usually termed a four deekle edged sheet. In the form shown the blank is made square with two of its opposite corners blunted instead of pointed, for the design of the particular envelope herewith illustrated. The preferred form of apparatus for operating upon these blanks is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. As therein shown, this apparatus comprises a die 10 for cutting four reentrant corners in a dcckle-edged envelope blank, and a holding device 11 for maintaining a plurality of such blanks with their edges in substantial registration with one another and for cooperating with the side walls of the die to locate the stack of blanks horizontally with respect to the die.

The die 10 comprises verticallydisposed side walls 12 and a horizontal base plate 13 that is formed integrally with the side walls, and closes the lower end of the die. The side walls 12 are in the form of an endless band having four protruding corner portions 1 (Fig. 1) and four reentrant corner pordistant from each other and the adjoining side walls which produce said corners are disposed at right angles to each other. in order that the die shall operate as desired upon the blanks, the reentrant corner portions 15 of the die are so arranged that when the blank is properly located for the cutting operation the notches cut therein by the die will. accurately define the four corners of the body portion of the blank.

awrees Theblank-holdingdevice 11 consists of a box-like structure normally positioned to hold a stack of blanks tlliOrB the die and adapted to cooperate with the die to locate the stack in the proper position"relatively to the die for the perforimince of the cutting operation. To this end the blank-holding device comprises a fiat bottom wall 18 for supporting a stack of envelope blanks, and verticalside walls 19 rising from the bot tom wall 18 for alining the edges 01" the blanks. As shown, the adjoining side walls 19 are arranged at right angles to each other with their inner faces adapted to closely confine a stack of blanks such as indicated at 20 in Fig. 3 and to permit only such an amount 01 play between the edges of the blanks and the side walls 19 as may be necessary toenable the blanks to be freely inserted between the side walls, allowance being made for the slight variations in con tour and character of the decklecdges. Moreover, the side walls 19 are of such thickness that their outer Faces are adapted'to fit closely within the protruding corner p01 tions of the side walls of the die ino-rder that the die and the blank-holding device may cooperate to locatethe'blanks relatively to the die. As shown in Fig. 1, the bottonr wall of the blank-holding device is notched at 21 and the side walls 19 are cut away intermendiate their ends, as shown at 22- in said figure, to permit the reentrant corner portions of the die to project into the space Within the side walls 19 so as to cut the required notches from the margins of the blanks which lie across the path of movement of the die.

Normally, the blankdiolding device 11 is yieldingly supported with the upper face or" its bottom wall 18 substantially finish with the horizontal cutting edge 16 of the die. To this end, four coiled springs 2e are interposed between the base plate 13 of the die and the bottom wall 18 of'the blank-holding device, the springs being of snfiicient strength to support the weight of the holding device and the stack of blanks and maintain them at the desired elevation. To prevent lateral displacement of the springs 24L, the upper ends of the latter are tightly coiled around retaining studs 25 which depend from the bottom-wall 18 of the blank-holding device.

To obtain the required pressure to force the stack of blanks in the holdingdevice 11 downwardly against and below the cuttingedge of the die, the invention contemplates employing a power press of any suitable reciprocating cross-head type. An example of such a press is shown in Fig. 3, in which the side frames of the press are indicated at 27, thestationary horizontal bed at 28 and the cross-head at 29. In using the press in connection with the present apparatus, the die is placed with its base plate resting upon the stationary bed 28 and a Hat board is placed upon the upper edges 01'? the blank holding device 11 to receive the pressure of the cross-head. T he board 30 should overlap the side .va-lls l9 device, as shown, to uni'i orinly' transmitthe pressure of the cross-head to the holding device and to the stack of blanks which is located by said device relatively to the cut ting edges of the die.

.Vith the stack of blanks thus located, the press is operated to force the blanl-t-holding device downwardly against the action of the springs 24-, thereby causing it to telescope within the die. During this movement of the blank-holding device, the stack of blanks which is confined therein by the board 30 which was placed across the top of the device, is forced by the action of the crosshead 29 upon this board, downwardly over the horizontal cutting edges upon the reentrant corner portions oi the die, so that the required notches are cut from the man gins of the blank. The notches thus out are shown at 32 in Fig. 5. At the completion of the cutting operation, the cross-head 29 is elevated, the springs 2st lift the blankholding device, together with the cut blanks until the latter are clear of die. The opera tor may then sieze the stack by inserting his fingers in thecut away portions 22 in the side walls of the blank-holding device and thus easily lift the stack from the device. The blank-holding device may then be refilled with uncut blanks and the cutting operation repeated. After being operated upon by the present apparatus, the blanks appear as illustrated by Fig. 5. In this figure, the body of the envelope blank which is to constitute one side of the folded envelope is designated 33, the extensions of the blank which are to be tolded into flaps and then glued together to constitute the other side of the envelope, are designated 3% and the lines of fold between the extensions 34.- and the body portion 33 are indicated by dotted lines The folding of the flaps is produced in the envelope folding machine by the action of a folding plunger which forces the blank through an opening in the bed of the machine, the shape and size of the opening and of the end face of the plunger corresponding to that of the GIHGlOPG to be pro-- duced. In order to produce a symmetrical envelope it is necessary that the line of told for each flap shall be perpendicular to the bisectorof each flap which extends through the body portion of the blank. lVher. such requirements are fulfilled, the folded envelopes will be symmetrical and will appear as shown in Fig. 6.

In order to insure that the folds shall occur in the proper place, it is of coures necessary that the blank shall be located in on all sides of the holding the proper position relatively to the folding plunger, before the folding operation takes place. Consequently, inasmuch as the pro liminary location of the blank is determined by the feeding or positioning devices of the folding machine which teed the blank by engagement in the notches -32, it is essential that these notches be located. accurately with respect to the rest of the blank. Furthermore, in order that the flaps shall be folded without tearing or mutilating the material of the blank, it is desirable that the corners of the notches 32 shall coincide with the corners at the junctions of the several lines of fold 35, as shown in Fig. 5. lVith the. present apparatus, constructed and arranged as above-described, the blanks oi the stack to be operated upon are adjusted edge-wise by the side walls of: the blank-holding device to bring the edges thereof into substantial. registration so that all the blank will be operated upon uniformly by the die. Furthermore, the blank-holding device, by virtue of its sliding contact with the side walls of the die, is at all times operative to so locale the blank that the notches 32 V will be cut in the blank in the exact relative locations indicated in F 5.

After the blanks have been 'tolded, the die-cut edges of the notches 32 which are visible are not sutliciently in evidence to destroy the general impression that the envelope is made of .deckle-edged paper. It may however be desirable to reduce the length of one or both of the die-cut edges of the notches 32 or to vary the angular relation of said edges. It is also practicable to entirely eliminate two of the notches shown in Fig. 5 since only two such notches are engaged by the feed devices of the folding machine. In such an event, the die of the present apparatus need be provided with only two cutting portions instead of tour, as shown. Obviously, also, it is not necessary to construct the die in the form of an endless band inasmuch as various expedients may be adopted for the purpose of supporting the reentrant corner portions of the die and for guiding the blank-holding device relatively to the die. 7

To increase the accuracy of the apparatus in the performance of its blank-locating "function it may, in practice, prove desirable to tilt the apparatus slightly atterthe stack of blanks have-been placed in the holding device so that all the blanks will tend to move toward the side walls 19 adjacent one of the corners of the blank-holding device. With the apparatus tilted in such a manner, it may then be jogged sufliciently to insure that the edges of all of the blanks in the stack will be brought into actual contact with the particular side walls mentioned. In th1s way any macouracies arising by virtue of the slight amount of play allowed between the edges of the blanks and the side walls of the blank holding device will be eliminated. If such a method is adopted, the blanks should always be jogged toward the same corner portion of the side walls 19 in order that the notches shall be uniformly located in the blanks operated upon at different times. To insure the jogging of the blanks toward the same corner of the blank-holding device at all times a distinctive mark, such as a cross may be placed upon one of the corners of said device as indicated at 37 in Fig. 1. Obviously, also, it may be found practical to eliminate all portions of the side walls of. the blank-holding device except those adjacent the corner toward which the blanks are to be directed by the jogging operation. Such an expedient, while not reducing the elficiency ot the device in properly locating the blanks, will facilitate considerably the introduction of the uncut blanks to the device as well as the removal of the cut blanks therefrom.

Fig. 7 is illustrative of a modification in which the blanleholding device is adapted to remain stationary during the cutting operation while the die is movable relatively to the holding device. ln'this form of the invention, the die is indicated at 38, and the blank-holding device at 39. the latter comprising a base plate 40 and upstanding side walls ll. The die 38 may consist of an endless band shaped substantially as here inbet'ore described and adapted to telescope outside of the. side walls 4C1 of the blankholding device as indicated bythe dotted lines 42. The die is arranged, however, with its cutting edge 43 lowermost and slightly advanced below the lower ot the adjacent edge oi? the band so that the die is adapted to cut downwardly toward the upper face of the base plate of the blank-holding device. lVith this construction, inasmuch as the die does not move beyond the base plate, it is unnecessary that the latter be notched to receive the rcentrant corner por-' tions of the chef Also it will be unnecessary to provide any means for stripping the out blanks from the die since they may be readily removed from the blank-holding device after the die has been lifted herefrom.

As in the case of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the dew'ce just described may be changed to the extent of providing only two adjoining s1de walls in theblank-holding device and providing a die having only two cutting portions adapted to cut notches in theblanks, or itmay be otherwise changed and modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

While the foregoing invention has been particularly described and shown in connection with the cutting of aortions from vdeckle edged envelope blanks, it should be understood that the invention is not con lined in its application to the making of such particular blanks, for it may find equal utility in the cutting of other forms of blanks. It is also to be unt erstood that the invention is not to be confined to the particular embodiment shown and illustrated, as various equivalent changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as here-after claimed.

Having indicated the nature and scope or" the present invention and having illustrated and described the preferred embodiment as well as. a certain modification thereor", what is claimed as new is,-

i. an apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising means for cut ting a plurality of regular edges at separated locations along the margin or" a blank, and means interengaging with the cutting means to relatively locate the cutting means and the blank.

2. An apparatus ,for operating upon envelope blanks comprising, a die for cutting a plurality of smooth edges at different locations along the margin of a blank, and means interengaging with the die to relatively locate the blank and the die.

An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a die for cutting a plurality of smooth edges at differ out locationsalong the margin of a blank, and means positioned by enterengagement with the die for locating a stack of blanks relatively to the die.

4. An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a die for cut ting a plurality of smooth edges at difierent locations along the margin of a blank, and means interengaging with said die for confining a plurality of blanks with their edges in substantial vertical registration locating the stack relatively to the die and retaining the blanks in stacked relation throughout the cutting operation.

An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a hollow die for cutting a plurality of smoth edges at different locations along the margin of a blank, means movable within the die for support ing a stack of blanks, and means carried by said supporting means and interengaging 'tvith said die for locating the blanks in their own planes relatively to the die.

6. An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a blank-supporting platform havin a marginal cutaway portion adapted to extend within the outline of the blank, a hollow die within which said platform is movable in a direc tion parallel to the side walls of the die, said die having an inwardly offset cutting edge adapted to project into said cut-away portion to cut the margin of the blank, and

inter-engaging means on said die and plattorn; for relatively locating the derand the for the cutting operation.

4, in apparatus "for cutting envelopeblanks comprising a die for cutting tour angular notches in the margin of a blank, Vices ot the notches being relatively arranged to define the tour corners of a rectangle, and means interengaging with the :lli: to relatively locate the die and the blank so that t 1e rectangle defined by said vertices will bear a symmetrical relation to the out line of the blank.

8. An apparatus for operating upon nvelope blanks comprising a die constructed and arranged to cut away marginal porticns of a blank to form a plurality of notches each defined by edges having reentrant angular relation to one another, and means positioned by interengagement with the die for relativellocating the blank and the die so that the adjoining edges which define the notches will bear a predetermined symmetrical relation to the outline of the blank.

9. An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a hollow die constructed and arranged to cut away mar-- ginal portions of a blank to form a plurality ot' notches each defined by edges having reentrant relation to one another, and means for engaging the interior of the die and the edge of the blank to locate the die and the blank in a predetermined relation.

10. An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a die constructed and arran ed to cut away marginal portions of a blank to form a plurality of notches each defined by edges having reentrant angular relation to one another, and means for holding a stack of said blanks in uniform relationship said means co-acting with the die to locate the stack of blanks relatively to the cutting edge of the die.

11. An apparatus for operating upon envelope blanks comprising a boXlike holder for receiving a stack of blanks and positioning the blanks with their mar ginal edges in substantial alinement, said holder having its side walls cut away at a plurality of points, a relatively movable hollow die surrounding said holder and having spaced cutting portions for projecting through the cut away portions of said side walls to cut a plurality of smooth edges at difierent locations along the margins oi said blanks.

12. An apparatus for cutting envelope blanks comprising a die consisting of a vertically disposed endless band having four protruding corner portions and four reentrant corner portions, the latter being severally interposed between adjacent protruding corner portions and having cutting edges lying in the same horizontal plane; and a device for holding a stack of sheets in uniform relationship With one another, comprising a bottom wall for supporting the stack and side Walls adapted to fit closely Within the protruding corner portions of the die, and arranged to permit the passage between adjacent sections of the reentrant corner portions of the die.

13.An apparatus for cutting envelope blanks, comprising, a stationary hollow die having upwardly directed cutting-edges constructed and arranged to cut a plurality of notches in the edges of a stack of sheets, and a device reciprocable Within the die for holding the stack above the die with the individual sheets in uniform relationship with one another and with the cutting edge of the die.

14;. An apparatus for cutting envelope blanks comprising a device for holding a stack of sheets having side members for locatingand retaining the sheets in uniform relationship With one another, and a die having side Walls constructed and arranged to surround and closely fit the slde members of the holding device and cutting edges adapted to out four notches in the marginal portions of the sheet.

15. The method of making deckle-edged envelope blanks which consists in holding a stack of deckle edged blanks With the marginal edges thereof in substantial vertical alinement, and forcing cutting edges vertically through said blanks at different locations along the margins thereof While holding said sheets from relative movement to form notches with smooth edges at such locations along the margins of said blanks that the corners of said notches Will determine the corner of the envelopes to be folded and the edges defining the notches of each blank Will bear a predetermined symmetrical relation to the rest of the blank.

In testimony whereof Ihave affixed my signature. V

CHARLES W. LYNCH. 

